20100730

No pay? Okay

I've taken today off but it has been an even busier day than when I have to go to work.The difference, apart from being able to get out of bed on my own terms rather than being held to ransom by the alarm clock, is that the things I have done are those that I choose to, not paid to, do. And the fact that they all involve helping others has made it all the more satisfying. The tasks include:

helping a friend edit a report before he submits it to his boss

helping a friend who asked for ideas for a presentation do some research and then make some PowerPoint slides

making preparation for the volunteer work that I will be doing tomorrow

helping my wife's friend figure out how he can upload things to the website that he has paid someone to build for his business

helping a friend contact an acquaintance regarding a product that he would like to source for his potential business

I didn't get to finish everything in a day of course, but then I never expected to. And in writing about them, I didn't intend to boast about how generous I am or how I like helping others. The point I am trying to make is just that how much satisfaction or sense of fulfillment you can out of doing something has absolutely nothing to do with whether you are paid to do it. It is just a great feeling to know that what you do has made things easier for someone else.